Of Warriors and Mages
by shadowsilv3r
Summary: Sequel to Vallaslin and Lyrium. As the Mage-Templar War reaches a climax, Fenris and Merrill struggle to keep their family together and survive the coming desolation in the dark times ahead. Rated M for violence, dark themes, and possible smut in later chapters. Fenrill.
1. Act I: Chapter 1: Fear

**Warning: This is a sequel to a pre-existing story called Vallaslin and Lyrium. DO NOT READ THIS STORY if you have not completed the prequel story for this will contain spoilers of V&L. there will also likely be great confusion on what's going on if you have not read Vallaslin and Lyrium.**

**Now that that is out of the way; welcome to the second phase of Fenris and Merrill's life together. I will apologize in advance that this story takes place nearly two decades after the events of V&L, and that the focus won't be centered directly on Fenris and Merrill, but another character instead.**

**Chapter One**

**Fear**

Her scream was drowned out by the deafening blast that shook the whole mansion to its core. The two years old clung desperately to her nanny as the walls creaked and the chandelier danced violently overhead.

"Mama!" The poor child cried as they left the front door to a dust and debris covered street. She coughed violently as the polluted air filled her lungs and hot ashes floated down like grey snowflakes that burned the skin.

Through the screaming of terrified men and women, the child could barely hear her nanny tell her that everything would be alright and to close her eyes. She clamped her eyes shut as hard as she could, trying to focus on the soothing of her nanny's hand rubbing her back. But tears still streaked down from her puffy eyes and across her cheeks, drawing lines of porcelain skin through the dust that clung to her face.

When she finally opened her eyes again, she found them both in the middle of Hightown square; she vaguely remembers her, Mama, and Papa taking strolls through this part of town. The child desperately looked around for any signs of her parents, hoping that they would appear and everything would go back to normal.

They were on the move again and started heading down the steps towards Lowtown, where the air was much less suffocating. She watched in confusion as a man wielding a large staff like mama used appeared further down the steps. She watched as the man sent a sinister light into the crowd of people in front of her and the Nanny, some of the people falling down the steps in agony after being touched by the light. This greatly confused the child, Mama's staff always made butterflies and pretty lights to play with the young toddler, why would this man's staff hurt someone?

The man wielding the bad staff pointed it towards the child and her nanny, a sudden flash of light appeared and the child felt searing pain engulf her back.

V

9:54 Dragon, seventeen years later…

Aelynn awoke with a start to find herself in her bedroom; she looked around the room terrified in search of a danger that had passed years since.

The elf released a sigh before muttering to herself, "Just another dream," _'no, memory'_ she corrected herself mentally as she pulled herself out of her bed sheets. Gauging from the low light coming out of her window it was predawn; so she decided to train a little earlier today.

She got out of her nightgown and pulled on a skirt that reached down to her knees, put on a leather tunic and some leather boots that had no soles. She then grabbed her mother's old green scarf from the bedframe and tied it around her waist like a sash. She finally walked towards her vanity where her longsword rested; though she stopped to look in the mirror.

She had her mother's looks, with a long neck, narrow body and soft cheeks. She also had her father's eyes, grim and borrowing, and his snow white hair that she grew long and usually kept in a braid; though she decided not to bother with her hair until later today.

Grabbing her longsword, Aelynn left her room and crept her way through her house so as not to wake her parents or her little brother. She stopped only for a second in the kitchen to grab a leftover dinner roll from last night before heading out into the fields.

Though it was late summer with autumn around the corner, the cold of last night sent shivers through her body as she headed into the fields. She eventually found her practice dummy, a crude yet sturdy construction of tree branches and a wool sack filled with hay made to look like a man's torso.

She gripped her sword within her two hands and took a defensive position, imagining her wooden opponent as guarding as well. She took a step forward and thrust her blade into the dummy's chest. The elf then did a clockwise spin on her heels and did a decapitation, the blade whacking into the bucket that served as a head.

"Your swing is too slow, your opponent could have easily blocked and countered your strike," Aelynn turned around to find her father leaning against the nearby oak, his arms crossed and that look of pride on his face whenever he watched his daughter practice.

"Father, how long have you been there?!" Aelynn questioned her father.

"About as long as you have, you woke me up," The daughter hung her head in shame, she knew her Father to be an extremely light sleeper given his history as a Tevinter slave. It was a habit that never really went away, even after Danarius' death.

"Sorry for waking you," Her Father nonchalantly waved it off, knowing that it wasn't her fault he was a light sleeper. Aelynn is reminded of Mother once joking about how he could wake to the sound of a cricket chirping.

"Remember your stance," Fenris firmly instructed his daughter, who quickly turned around to face her opponent, "Break his guard and go for a thrust,"

Aelynn swiftly swung the blade against the outstretched tree branch that served as an arm, hitting the wooden poll that imitated a weapon before quickly pulling back and thrusting forward.

Aelynn continued training with her father's increasingly complex instructions. Sometimes she fumbled over his orders by mixing them up or forgetting an step altogether, but she would simply be repeated the same set of instructions until she got it right and moved on to more advanced movements.

Soon Fenris decided that it would be more appropriate for Aelynn to be sparring with him; so he unsheathed his own shortsword and grasped it in his remaining hand. Over the years he had become quite adept at one-handed fighting after he lost his hand to a cruel slaver named Leotok Vetaris nearly two decades ago, he was not as skilled as he was in two-handed fighting, but he could definitely hold his own and still be able to pass his knowledge and skill to his beloved daughter.

Father and Daughter seemed to almost dance in their movements as they sparred, and the clang of steel the music. They would strike when the other would feint a drop in guard only to be countered and have to counter the counter to try and gain the upper hand; a flurry of steel cutting through the air between them as they did so.

The sun had fully separated itself from the horizon when the father decided that they were done, much to Aelynn's silent approval as she wiped the sweat from her brow and the adrenaline began to wear off.

The two warriors sheathed their weapons as they entered the house to find Aelynn's Mother at the hearth making breakfast with Orana. The elven woman of forty-six turned her gaze at the sound of the door opening and closing, a smile playing across her delicate face at the sight of her husband and Daughter. Merrill looked much as she did twenty years ago thanks to the youthfulness of elves. Though her hair had some grey coming in and her eyes didn't hold that youthful light of innocence that it once did, instead replaced with a wiser, mellow expression.

"And how are my warriors doing today?" she asked as her husband walked over and gave her a kiss.

"Doing well, Ma'vhenan," Fenris gave the elven endearment that meant 'my heart'.

"Fine, Mother," Aelynn responded in a sharp, callous tone as she sat down at the nearby stool and rested her head against the wall behind her. Merrill gave a sad, longing look to her daughter before turning back to her cooking.

It was no secret that Aelynn detested her mother, after 'The incident of Kirkwall' as it became known, Aelynn held a great mistrust of mages, though it would never reach the level of hatred that her father had once held in his early life. One thing was certain about Aelynn's view on mages though.

They terrify her.

A few minutes later Aelynn's thirteen year old brother Garrett emerged from his room in nothing but his trousers and a nightshirt as he groggily asked what was for breakfast. The boy had short black hair like his Mother that sat atop his rugged facial features that belonged to his Father, and he also had the green eyes that were a common trait between his parents.

"Porridge," Orana responded in that sweet voice of hers as she went to set the table. Garrett made a yacking sound at the thought. Aelynn reached into her pocket and pulled out the dinner roll that she had pilfered earlier and tossed half to her brother, who used his magic to telekinetically catch it out of the air.

"Garrett!" Aelynn scolded in a tone of extreme disgust as her younger brother hung his head guiltily. He knew better then to use magic in front of his sister.

"Aelynn, it's only a simply telekinetic spell," Merrill stated calmly to her daughter before turning to her son, "it's alright Da'len,"

"Sorry Aelynn," Garrett apologized, only to get a defiant huff from his sister.

Aelynn watched as her father lead her mother out of the room for some privacy. The nineteen year old could hear a muffled conversation on the other side of the door that she couldn't quite make out.

"Aelynn dear," she turned to Orana to see a worried expression on the nanny's face, "I know you have difficulty dealing with magic, and you have every right to be, but please don't take it out on Garrett and your Mama,"

"Why shouldn't I?!" Aelynn asked defiantly, "Father was a slave to a mage, and so were you when you were my age!"

"But both me and your Papa understand that not all mages are like that," Orana pleaded for Aelynn to understand.

"Whatever," Aelynn shrugged it off as she stormed outside, not wanting to continue the conversation she was losing; she then made a mad dash to town.


	2. Act I: Chapter 1 Part II: Fear

**To try and keep up a more consistent number of updates; I will be delivering updates in the form of half-chapters on a regular basis. Now I won't be cutting EVERY chapter in half. But if my muse starts getting fickle I'll most likely do it more often.**

**Chapter One Part II**

**Fear**

Fenris led Merrill into the hall before turning around to face his wife as he said, "This is getting ridiculous with Aelynn,"

"I know Ma'vhenan," Merrill solemnly admitted, "But it's not like I can exactly talk to her without her just blowing it off,"

Fenris rubbed his forehead as he was deep in thought. He loved his wife greatly and through her, learned to appreciate magic as it was. He was also extremely close to his precious daughter who was afraid of mages, often hiding it behind a façade of hatred. He felt like he was torn between defending his wife and maintaining the relationship he had with his daughter, to choose one would deprive him of the other. Yet to remain neutral would leave the situation unresolved.

"I will try to talk to her, she looks up to me," Fenris suggested, trying to alleviate his wife's worry. All he got in response was his wife wrapping her arms around him as she cried.

"Our little Da'len hates me, doesn't she?!" Merrill said through sobbing that shook her whole body. Fenris quickly wrapped his own arms around the shaking elf as he tried to soothe her by hushing her with his calm baritone voice.

"She doesn't hate you, my love," Fenris said to reassure her, and secretly to reassure himself, "She doesn't hate you,"

The two remained there until Fenris heard the door to the kitchen open; he looked over to his left to find Orana peaking in nervously, "Sorry to intrude Master, Mistress," The poor elf had been free for over twenty years and she still referred to others as master or mistress.

"Orana," Fenris said calmly, knowing that to raise his voice in any way to the blonde elf was like charging at a doe and scaring it off, "You needn't call us that,"

"Sorry… Fenris," The elf corrected herself, "But It's Aelynn, she's run off, in the direction of town,"

A sudden realization dawned on Fenris in the form of a long time fear that took over him as he quickly ran past the two female elves and out the door, hoping that he wasn't too late.

V

Aelynn soon entered the nearby town of Westbrook. Since the sun had only recently risen most of the townsfolk that were already outside were guards or early birds that wanted to get a head start on their work.

The young elf wandered through the mostly empty streets, relatively ignored by the sparse number of citizens. She got nothing more than the occasional glance that lingered just long enough for the individual to recognize who she was before returning to their duties. Due to Aelynn and her family being elves none of the predominately human populace paid them much mind. The town wasn't big enough for a proper alienage; so any elves that lived in the area were either lived-in servants, or live in small houses a little ways from the main community, like Aelynn's family.

"Aren't you up early Little Mouse," Aelynn knew the individual before she turned around to find a tall human with dark red hair and vivid green eyes that always held a mischievous glint. The man was dressed in thick full-plate steel cuirass with the symbol of a flaming sword at its center.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that, Ferdinand!" the elf scolded defiantly at the Templar. The man simply laughed heartedly, much to Aelynn's expense, "What is it?"

"Nothing, I just love the look on your face whenever you get angry," The man said with a devilish smirk and a teasing look in his eyes.

Aelynn only grew angrier, "Yea, just like that Little Mouse,"

"Are you here just to tease me?!" the elven warrior accused.

"I only meant some lighthearted jesting," The Templar then suddenly grew serious, "Is everything alright?"

"No… I had another nightmare," the headstrong elf admitted, "Garrett then casted some harmless magic in front of me, normally I wouldn't get so upset but-

"The nightmare unsettled you," Ferdinand suggested, "Made the fear all too fresh in your mind,"

Aelynn didn't respond as she closed her eyes and turned away from him. She then mentally braced herself for the inevitable question that was to come.

"You know… I could always-

"Don't even say it!" Aelynn turned around to glare at Ferdinand.

"I'm just saying, I know you love your Brother and Mother just as much as you fear them, but the temptation will always be there," Ferdinand insisted, "So for you and your family's safety, it would be best for everyone if I took them in."

"And what? Make them tranquil?!" Aelynn accused.

"It's a better fate then what the others will offer," Ferdinand said; neither need say who the 'others' were, the rest of the Templar platoon stationed near Westbrook.

"I understand you mean well Ferdinand," Aelynn admitted, "But I just can't,"

"Aelynn!" The two jumped at the harsh tone that hit them, the elven girl turned her gaze to find her father standing there with his with his markings aglow.

V

The old elf's fears were realized. He had warned Aelynn to stay away from the Templar Ferdinand ever since the platoon had arrived in Westbrook. He had always feared that she might tell the snake the secret about his family that he worked so hard to raise and protect. He wasn't about to let it all go without a fight.

He advanced towards the Templar, shoving his daughter aside when she got in the way as he grabbed Ferdinand by the collar of his cuirass and threw him to the ground. He quickly pounced on the offending man as he phased his fist through the cuirass and grabbed his heart, fully intending to squeeze the organ and kill the man as painfully as possible.

"Daddy, don't!" Fenris heard his daughter scream, causing him to stop with his fist wrist deep in the man's chest as he turned his head to look at his beloved daughter.

"This man would see our family torn apart!" He then turned his gaze to the terrified eyes of the man on the ground before him, "I would sooner slight my wrist in front of a magister before that happens,"

"Dad, he won't tell anyone about Mom and Garrett, I promise!" she pleaded.

"So he already knows!" Fenris growled as his anger increased tenfold.

"Serah, I swear to Holy Andraste and The Maker himself that I will not bring harm to your family, through direct or indirect means of any kind," Ferdinand desperately pleaded as Fenris' marking began to glow brighter and brighter until the Templar's vision turned blue.

Then it all stopped; and for a moment Ferdinand had thought he had died until he felt the unpleasant sensation of Fenris' hand leaving his chest. It wasn't until the hand was completely out did the Templar dare breathe.

"Get lost!" The angry elf didn't need to repeat himself as Ferdinand scrambled to his feet and scurried off to who knows where. Fenris then turned to Aelynn, who stood a good distance away from him, fear clear in her eyes at Fenris' previous display.

"Aelynn, Sweetheart," He reached out to try and touch her only for the frightened elf to recoil at his advance. Fenris released a sigh; he knew Aelynn's fear also extended to her father's Lyrium abilities which were in all intents and purposes, magic. He had told her off his lyrium induced powers but never showed her, with that wretched fear in mind. But now that he had used his powers for the first time in front of her, and in such a violent manner, he worried about where he now stood with his beloved daughter.

"Please come home, my brave pup," Fenris offered while calling her the nickname that he would call her whenever she got frightened. A simply nickname that meant so much between the two.

Aelynn reluctantly complied and followed her father home.

_**Author's note:**_

**Next chapter will focus on another character and plot that WILL eventually intertwine with the story of Aelynn. For this story is as much about the world of Thedas as it is about the Leto's (The unofficial family name for Fenris and Merrill's family).**


	3. Act I: Chapter 2: Succor

**Please enjoy the new chapter two; focusing on Fenris and Merrill's son Garrett.**

**Chapter 2:**

**Succor**

It had been two days since his father had returned with Aelynn, and Garrett had rarely seen his sister during those two days. He had been doing his chores and his sis confined herself to her room except to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, or when she and father practiced early in the morning, or late into the evening. This gave little time for him to see his sister, let alone apologize to her.

The young elf lad was currently busy slopping the pigs, he noticed Ol' Trot, the oldest boar they currently possessed, limping in favor of his hind left trotter, the pig was planned to be slaughtered in a few days. The old boar was so slow that the younger boars had taken up the whole feeding area. Garrett felt sorry for the doomed animal and poured a little leftover slop in a bucket for the boar to eat in peace.

Having finished his chores for the day, he eagerly went into the house and got cleaned up before heading out the back door to meet up with his mother, who currently held two staffs in her hands and a basket containing lunch. She then offered one staff to Garrett before they both headed out into the nearby woods to practice.

Ever since Garrett reached the age of eight, he had developed into a skilled apprentice to his mother with lots of potential. He has proven himself to be an adept learner of the arcane arts in all its forms except healing and blood magic, due to his mother's ineptitude, or reluctance, to teach in that order.

One thing he always seemed to be unusually talented in was nature magic; where one uses magic to affect the forces of nature. He always seemed to be in tuned to nature. He could sense the energy of plant life around him; he even swears that he can sometimes see a faint aura around plants if he squints hard enough in the dead of night.

They soon came upon their secret training spot; a small pond with giant trees with roots growing out of the ground. One would have to actually climb over these roots to reach the pond. Garrett's mother claims that these trees where likely magically grown centuries ago by Dalish elves and that the place held a unique energy all its own, for the veil was thin here. Though unlike most areas in Thedas that had a thin veil, this one wasn't caused by bloodshed, a natural _Setheneran_, as Garrett's mother would call it.

The two elves settled down onto one of the big roots and proceeded to meditate, clearing the mana channels, Merrill often said. After five minutes of silent meditation Merrill instructed her son to step into the pond. Garrett did as he was told and entered the waste deep water. He was then told to relax. As he did this he could sense the few fish in the water, or rather, the energy they produced. He sent his magical senses further; he felt the water travelling up the roots of the trees, and up their trunks and throughout the whole body of the giant plants. Through the trees he could feel the gentle sway of the breeze travelling throughout the forest.

"What do you feel, ma Da'len?" Merrill asked her son.

"Everything," Garrett replied. He then started sending his energy through the channels that nature provided, and felt a response in return. He opened his eyes to find new roots growing from the trees and wrapping themselves around his legs in a gentle embrace. Garrett remained at perfect ease as the roots held a little tighter, and began to slowly raise him up and out of the water until he was essentially standing on a pillar of roots.

Garrett turned his gaze to his mother with a big grin on his face. This was something he had been practicing to do for months; the art of commanding plant growth wasn't an easy ability, even for seasoned Keepers. It was one thing to command existing plant matter, it was another to create and command the growth of plants.

Slowly, Garrett commanded the growth to release him so he could head back to where his mother resided. His face beamed as Merrill gave her Da'len and apprentice praise on a job well done.

"You are quite the prodigy Garrett," Merrill commented as they sat down again to meditate, if only to sense nature around them once again.

For the rest of the morning the two elves practiced nature magic in several forms. Merrill explained the art of curing plants of various fungi and weeds through reversing the energy flow that connected the plant to the harmful parasite. Garrett was lectured on the limited history of a Keeper's connection to nature and how they must use it to help their clans. They soon ate lunch at high noon before starting the trek back home.

As they travelled they heard yelping off in the distance. The two readied their staffs to protect themselves if need be as they headed towards the noise. After some searching and following the pain filled noises they found a pitiful looking coyote seemingly infected with mange with it's hind leg stuck in a bear trap.

"Mythal have mercy," Merrill muttered as she approached the struggling animal that began chewing on its leg to try and escape the trap. The coyote was so focused on its gruesome task that Merrill was nearly upon it before she was noticed. The animal then remained still and growled at the Dalish elf.

But Merrill was not deterred, "hush now Hahren, I'm here to help," The animal appeared to have some level of understanding of what Merrill said, for it ceased to growl at her and began to whimper instead.

"Garrett, come here," the lad complied and approached the injured animal as well, "I'm going to use a temporary sleep spell on the coyote; that will require my constant concentration, so I need to you release his leg while I do, understand?"

"Understood Mom," Garrett assured as he examined the leg; the trap had torn all the way into the bone just before the first joint. The area where the coyote had been attempting amputation wasn't looking to good either. The trap was in there deep.

"How am I supposed to free the leg?" the lad asked.

"Try a precise outward telekinetic burst," Merrill suggested, as she hovered her hands over the frightened animal's head, "On three,"

"One, two, three," Merrill then sent a sleep hex onto the animal, who relaxed before passing out. Garrett then focused his mind on the area around the bear trap. He felt the potential energy in the small area and summoned it forth to move in all directions. A pop and whoosh of air travelled from the bear trap as raw energy tore the metal mechanism apart, freeing the leg.

"Good job, Garrett" Merrill commented as she released her sleep spell from the animal, only for it to not wake up as it had passed out form blood loss, "Now let's examine that leg,"

As Merrill shifted over to inspect the leg, the whole animal began to glow a forest green. Merrill quickly reacted and grabbed Garrett and pulled him back and behind her as she held her staff in a defensive position at the glowing animal until the blinding light died out; revealing an old, scarred, and unconscious elf.

"Mythal have mercy," Merrill exclaimed.

**Author's note:**

**Have a happy 2014 **


	4. Act I: Chapter 2 Part II: Succor

**Chapter 2 part II:**

**Succor**

Despite the old elf's emaciated condition, it still took longer to return home then Merrill and Garrett would have liked. Merrill was never very strong and Garrett was barely into his teens, forcing the two to have to carry the unconscious man together. Garrett had removed his shirt to serve as bandages for the Shapeshifter's leg. Merrill knew they would have to amputate the leg.

As soon as they broke through the tree line and into the fields of their home Merrill started hollering for her Husband, luckily he was out in the fields chopping wood so he heard and noticed them immediately.

"Maker's breath, Merrill!" The one handed elf exclaimed as he ran over and replaced Garrett's position in supporting the unconscious elf, "What happened?"

"He got his leg caught in a bear trap," Merrill elaborated as they headed for the house, "we managed to get it off him, but I'm afraid we will have to cut it off,"

"Garrett," the lad focused on his father at the sound of his name, "Go get Orana and your sister, tell them to get proper bandages, some Elfroot, and the bone saw,"

The young mage ran into the house, stopping only long enough to hold the door open for his parents and the old elf. He then ran to his sister's room only to meet his sister halfway in the hall.

"What's all the commotion?" She asked before stopping and noticing his brother shirtless and covered in blood from the man's leg.

"Can't talk right now, go find some bandages and meet Mom and Dad in the kitchen," Garrett then quickly ran past his sister and all but barged into Orana's room, she was busy folding laundry when Garrett quickly explained the situation to her.

"I'll get the herbs, you get the bone saw; it should be in the toolshed," Garrett was off again, this time out the house and into the toolshed, after some searching he found the bone saw. Once he returned to the kitchen he found his father and Orana trying to hold the now awake and panicking elf down on the kitchen table while his Mom was quickly preparing an elfroot potion. Once she finished making the concoction she poured some of the vial's contents into a clean rag. Merrill then casted another sleep spell on the elf, who quickly fell unconscious.

With the patient no longer struggling, Merrill slowly removed Garrett's shirt from the man's leg.

"Mythal," the Dalish muttered under her breath as she put the elfroot stained rag on the pus covered wound. The old elf twitched and grunted a bit before remaining still once again; the only sign he was still alive was his haggard breathing.

"I got the bandages!" Aelynn called as she walked into the room. She then covered her mouth in shock at the gruesome sight before her. Orana took the bandages from the young she-elf as Fenris grabbed the bone saw from Garrett. Merrill then placed her hands on either side of the man's leg for stability as Fenris took a deep breath and began sawing the leg off just above the wound but below the knee.

It was a long, gruesome process; Orana had to excuse herself to throw up twice, leaving Garrett and Aelynn to keep the man stable while he struggled through his magically induced sleep.

They soon got the leg off. Fenris then held the saw in front of Merrill who casted a centralized heating spell on the blood soaked metal before the one handed elf placed the flat of the metal against the wound. The man awoke from his sleep at that point and took all of the children's strength to hold him down as Fenris sealed the wound and kill any infection.

By the time the metal was removed the man had passed out, this time without any signs of waking up anytime soon. The room became deafly quiet after the patient's blood curdling screams.

Fenris eventually turned his gaze from the elf and looked at his wife as he said almost breathlessly, "Why must you make my life so damn complicated?"

"Because I'm your wife," Merrill said with a jovial smirk before turning her gaze to the unconscious man currently on their eating table, "help me put him in the spare bedroom,"

The two adults carried the amputee into the bedroom after bandaging up the stump of a leg. Once they laid him down on the bed they left the room and closed the door.

"Fenris?" the male elf turned to his wife and waited for her to proceed, "he's a mage,"

Fenris looked to everyone else currently in the hall, Orana look worried, though mostly for the man's condition then the revelation. Garrett didn't look at all surprised and Aelynn's gaze turned to the door, fear evident in her expression.

"Orana, see that the kids do their chores," Fenris insisted as he guided Merrill into their room. Once they were both inside Fenris closed and locked the door. He then looked to his wife who held a guilty look on her face. The husband released a tired sigh before he spoke, "Are you certain he's a mage?"

"He was a Coyote when we found him," Merrill explained. In response Fenris simply rubbed his forehead with his hand as he thought of what to say next.

"We can't keep him here," he finally said.

"You can't be serious, not in his condition!" Merrill pleaded louder then she had intended.

"Merrill, please listen," Fenris insisted before he continued, "Aelynn already told one Templar about you and Garrett, luckily the lad has sworn himself to secrecy but if anyone else found out about this elf and who he is we could have a whole platoon of Templars after us and our family, we can't risk it,"

"Please Ma'vhenan, just until he's able enough for travel, until then have him stay," Merrill pleaded as she placed her hand on her husband's cheek, the warmth coursing through the two. Fenris released another sigh before finally conceding.

"Fine, but if he causes any trouble we kick him to the road, healed or no," Fenris compromised, much to his wife's relief.


	5. Act I: chapter 3: Introductions

**Pardon the small chapter.**

**Chapter 3:**

**Introductions**

To say that Aelynn was reluctant to follow her parent's request to check up on the elven mage that was currently unconscious in the spare room was an understatement. But none the less here she was, headed upstairs with a bowl of soup to check up on the mage anyway.

'_What are they thinking,' _Aelynn thought as she reached the top of the stairs, '_we know nothing about this man except that he is a mage, he could be a blood mage, or attract the Templars here-'_

Aelynn then knew that if it came to that she would have to choose between her family's loyalty and Ferdinand's trust. She understood the dangers of magic to both the mages and those around them, though she feared her mother's and brother's curse she loved them too. She figured that having them sent to one of the few remaining circles would be best for them.

The problem was that her mom was so stubborn in her reluctance to see her way. Aelynn would often plead for her mother to turn themselves in and avoid death or tranquility. Both didn't sit well with her, though Ferdinand insisted that tranquility was the best solution she didn't want that to happen to them.

Aelynn reached the door as she internally sighed, '_why can't they realize I only want them to be safe from their curse,'_ she then put those thoughts aside as she slowly opened the door into the spare room to find the old elf awake and alert in the bed.

"I was wondering when someone might check up on me," The elf said in a high and oddly grandfatherly tone, "I would have called but I figured that would be impolite,"

Aelynn simply raised a white eyebrow.

"Is something the matter young one?" the old elf questioned.

"That remains to be seen," Aelynn said ominously as she walked across the room to place the bowl of soup at the nightstand beside the bed. The old elf calmly grabbed the bowl and started eating.

"Thank you," Aelynn simply nodded in response, "my name's Sintht,"

"Sintht? That is a strange name," Aelynn muttered.

Sintht shrugged nonchalantly before saying, "not like any of us have a choice in our names, now do we. And what might yours be?"

"Aelynn,"

"Now that is a lovely name," the mage said with a smile that looked kind of creepy with all the facial scars.

Silence fell upon the room as Aelynn simply watched Sintht eat his soup. Nothing was said for a while until Sintht finished his meal and pointed out, "I must say that you look far too young to have white hair naturally, might I ask why that is?"

I got it from my father," Aelynn said, "He's… special,"

"I bet he is," Sintht commented, I'd like to apologize for the fit I gave while you guys were fixing me up, you must understand, the pain was overwhelming,"

"I'd imagine,"

"You don't say much do you?" Aelynn only shrugged in response.

"I guess that his is as good an answer I'll get uh?" Sintht said lightheartedly.

"I'll inform everyone that you're now awake," Aelynn said as she left the room, ending the conversation right there. Once she closed the door she released a sigh, '_he seems nice enough at least'._

The young warrior made her way downstairs and informed her parents that the mage was awake, and that his name was Sintht. She then headed out into the field to train some more.

V

Aelynn practiced throughout the rest of the morning, thinking about Sintht and how she was worried about what would happen if the mage was discovered. She was so engrossed in thought that she didn't hear her mother call for her at first. So she was startled when she finally heard her mother call her from what sounded like right behind her and she spun around, nearly taking her mother's head off with her sword.

"Mom! I-I'm sorry," Aelynn apologized immediately, "I was startled is all,"

"It's alright dear, now harm done," Merrill offered, a solemn look on her face, "I just came out to tell you that lunch is ready,"

"Understood," Aelynn said nervously as she walked passed her mother without another word.

Merrill released an exhausted sigh before following her daughter back to the house. The two women remained in an uncomfortable silence all the way to the house. Then Aelynn spoke.

"Mom, are you sure about having Sintht with us?" Aelynn questioned cautiously.

"He's in bad shape, he needs our help," Merrill insisted.

"And when he gets better?"

"When he's fit enough for travel he'll continue on from here," Merrill explained.

'_There's that at least'_ Aelynn thought with relief.


	6. Act I: Chapter 4: Hunt

**Please pardon the long wait; things have been getting busy for me as my birthday is coming up on the twenty fourth of this month, and how old will I be you might ask? Not saying anything, only that it might surprise you about my age.**

**Also, the more eagle eyed reader might notice that I name the chapters with 'Act I' within them; we are currently at the midway point (in terms of whole chapters) of this act.**

**Chapter 4:**

**Hunt**

Conflicted, that was the word that best described Knight-Lieutenant Ferdinand's mind; for every waking minute he felt this pit in his gut and a lump in his throat while debating whether to uphold his hastily made oath to Aelynn's father or his dedicated oath to the Order. It would have been so much easier had he not formed an attachment to Aelynn. He remembers when he first met her.

He and some other Templars where on a patrol through Westbrook; and as men often do when they got bored on a patrol, they commented on any lovely women they happen to come across to help pass the time. One of Ferdinand's fellows pointed out an attractive elf with white hair. Ferdinand had thought his comrade crazy at first, expecting the elf to be old to match the white hair; but he was proven wrong the moment he turned his head and saw a beautiful young elf with hair as white as fresh snow standing across the road.

This had greatly intrigued the Templar. He soon began to admire her other features as well. She had a soft face yet stern eyes, was thin, though appeared to have wiry toned muscle suggesting she exercised, long legs and a flat stomach. He was about to inspect her chest when he noticed those green eyes were burrowing into him, fully aware of his lecherous stares.

Naturally, he looked away as quickly as possible before mentally kicking himself for doing such an obvious action that only accentuated his guilt; something that was not lost on the elf or Ferdinand's fellow Templars, who gave him a shove towards the elf in hopes of further embarrassing him.

"Uhm, hello," Ferdinand greeted awkwardly to the elf as he scratched the back of his head.

"No, I'm not sleeping with a you," the she-elf stated evenly and almost nonchalantly, as though a guy asking her such a request was nothing new to her.

"I didn't say-

"You were going to give a cheesy pickup line that would supposedly impress me and then mention how you have a room at the local inn and I would threaten to cut your balls off, like I'm about to do now if you don't back off," Ferdinand quickly looked down and saw a sharp looking knife pointed at his loins.

Needless to say, he backed off.

"I think we're getting off on the wrong foot here, my name's Ferdinand," he offered. The elf gave him an expression that was a mix of annoyance and suspicion; but she none the less gave him her name.

"Name's Aelynn, now fuck off,"

"Sure," Ferdinand then turned around to head back to his group when he heard Aelynn call after him.

"I'm not above talking you know, maybe tomorrow?" Ferdinand simply nodded in response, unsure of what had exactly had just transpired. He then regrouped with his comrades.

That was six months ago, and ever since Aelynn and Ferdinand had become rather close as friends. Though he didn't learn about her mage brother and mother until two months ago, when he saw her brother Garrett cast a spell, he would have reported the boy immediately if not for Aelynn pleading for him to keep it a secret. He decided to keep it.

"Knight-Lieutenant!?" Ferdinand was drawn out of his reverie by a Templar who now stood at the threshold of his tent, "Knight-Captain Wolfram requests your presence,"

"I'm on my way," Ferdinand replied. The Templar exited the tent and entered the encampment that was set up just outside the town of Westbrook. The Templars have been using the town as an outpost that resided on the border of the Free Marches and Orlais.

Ferdinand headed straight for the large war tent near the center of camp, at the entrance where to guards that pulled the tent flap aside for Ferdinand to enter. In the middle of the tent was a table spread with a map of the Free Marches/Orlais border. Standing at the end of table was a large bear of a man in his late forties with a trimmed white beard with remnants of its original black specked within. His gaze was strict and piercing with grey eyes.

Ferdinand gave a respectful bow with his fist against his breastplate as he addressed his superior, "You requested my presence Knight-captain?"

"Indeed I did lieutenant," Wolfram spoke with utter strict professionalism, "We had sent a scouting party of three Templars out on patrol within the forested area to the south of Westbrook a few days ago, I have just received word that only one had returned after missing for three days, badly wounded and deranged with fear before passing out, once he finally regained consciousness we had him questioned, through his hysteria we managed to figure out what had happened,"

Ferdinand remained quiet as he waited for the Knight-Captain to continue, "They were ambushed by what appeared to be a heavily scarred bear, killed one of the Templars before they knew what was happening, when they tried to attack it, the bear changed into a crow which flew atop them and became a pouncing leopard, by the time the fight was over it had changed into at least five different animals, the survivor had to play dead as the creature ate his comrades corpses as a coyote, he then casted a smite spell on the beast, trapping it in its coyote form and forced it to run off. With his leg broken from the fight he had to crawl the rest of the way back to camp,"

Ferdinand soaked in the details of the gruesome story, "We're dealing with a shapeshifting mage?"

"Not just that Lieutenant, but a cannibal as well," Knight-Captain Wolfram pointed out, "I wouldn't be surprised if this is also a Maleficar as well,"

"What do you request of me?" Ferdinand asked as he stood at attention, seeing where this conversation was going,"

"I want you to gather a small group of scouts and track down this monster, but do not engage if it can be helped, you need to report back so we can mount an assault on this creature before it kills again,"

"Understood Sir," Ferdinand replied with another bow before exiting the tent, unaware of the events set into motion.


	7. Act I: Chapter 5: Questions

**I know, another short chapter, I promise that Act II will have much longer chapters as the story gets more complex.**

**I think this might be the most unsettling chapter of this story so far, if only for the reveal of in the previous chapter being fresh in everyone's mind.**

**Chapter 5:**

**Questions**

It had been three days since Aelynn's Mother and Brother found Sintht. The old elf had come to settle into the family dynamic almost seamlessly. Merrill and Orana had bought a wooden crutch for Sintht so he could get around the house on his own; though he still required assistance up and down the stairs. Fenris and Sintht got along fine enough, thanks mostly to minimal communication. Garrett seemed to be fascinated by the mage, always asking the man questions about this or that about magical properties and whatnot that Aelynn didn't understand.

Aelynn however was the one least willing to accommodate the shapeshifter. Though she remained mostly passive about it, her parents had told everyone that Sintht was only a temporary guest and will be on his way as soon as he was able. That day couldn't come fast enough for the young warrior.

She was still confined to the household after the incident with Ferdinand. Her parents had to go into town to gather ingredients for dinner, and Orana was busy washing everyone's clothes. Aelynn had already done her sword practice for the day and found herself with nothing to do. So she conceded to wandering aimlessly through the property until she heard a noise coming from the barn.

She crept over and took a peek through the barn doors which were open ajar, finding Garrett casting magic, causing roots to grow out of the ground and organize the farming equipment with ease. Sintht was sitting on a nearby stool with amazement clear on his scarred face.

"You're quite a talented mage, Garrett," Sintht commented happily as the lad broke the spell and let the roots retract back into the earth.

"Not as talented as you," Garrett replied modestly, "You can change into any animal you want,"

"Not any animal I want lad, only the ones I've studied," Sintht corrected.

"What do you mean by that?"

"To change your body into another, you must first understand the form you're taking, you have to observe the animal, learn it's eating habits, it's habitat, the very nature of the animal, once you do that, you can take on its form," Sintht explained as the lad listened with fascination.

"Do you think you can teach me how?" Garrett asked. Sintht regarded him for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. This caused Garrett to cheer in excitement, though Sintht quickly told him that it was best to wait a little longer until he was in better condition.

"I can wait," Garrett said.

"I bet you can, now run along, off with you," Sintht said with a dismissive wave of his hand, Garrett went running towards the door. Aelynn quickly got out of the door's way so Garrett wouldn't trample over her. When Garrett got out and found his sister waiting there at the door his enthusiasm deflated.

"Oh, hey Sis," Garrett said sadly as he looked to the ground. This worried Aelynn as she remembered the last time they conversed, she had yelled at him for using magic in front of her. She quickly began and apology only for Garrett to speak at the same time as well, causing the moment to get even more awkward.

"You go first Sis," Garrett offered. So Aelynn took a deep breath before speaking.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you the other day, I had a nightmare the night before and it shook me up pretty bad," Aelynn admitted.

"And I'm sorry for casting magic in front of you," Garrett apologized as well, Aelynn then pulled her brother into a sibling hug before telling to run off and find something fun to do.

"He looks up to you," Aelynn heard Sintht call from the entrance to the barn. She turned around and looked the old mage in the eye in disbelief.

"He does?" Aelynn questioned.

"Oh yes, thinks the world of you, he believes you'll be a great swordswomen one day," Aelynn couldn't help but blush at hearing about her little brother's admiration for her.

"Don't see why, he's the one with magical talent, he can do things I never could," the warrior admitted.

"Can he hold a sword?" Sintht asked, Aelynn simply shook her head.

"Just because one has magic, doesn't make them any more special than anyone else, we all have strengths and weaknesses," Sintht then leaned forward and whispered, "It's what we do with them that matter,"

Aelynn felt oddly touched by the old elf's wisdom, her mother and brother often try to do good with magic, yet she had been criticizing them for something they were born with, it would be like if they were to insult her for having sword skills.

"Thanks for the advice Sintht," Aelynn thanked the old mage and began to walk off just as the shapeshifter asked.

"Say, Aelynn?" the warrior stopped and waited for the mage to continue, "you housemaid Orana? Is she seeing anyone?"

Aelynn turned around to look at Sintht at that point, the shadow of the barn casted over the old man's silhouette, "She doesn't get out much I'm afraid, why?"

"No reason, just a shame such a lovely lady like her hasn't found a nice man," said Sintht.

"She might meet someone someday," Aelynn suggested as she wandered back into her home, leaving Sintht alone at the barn entrance. As she entered the house she realized she might actually get along with the old mage after all.


End file.
